It's been a busy fall photo season over at Amanda Swanson Photography. I have a discovered a new passion; aurora photography! I grew up in southern British Columbia, and where I lived we were to south to see Northern Lights. I did not have the chance to see them in person until I was traveling up to Fort McMurray for work late at night. It was a dark long road with loads of hills. I remember coming up over a hill into a straight stretch, and the tress around my vehicle suddenly dispersed making the sky easier to see, and there it was; a beauty green and yellow dancing wave in the sky. It was breath taking. That was back in 2012, and for some reason I assumed Edmonton did not get the northern lights, as I had lived in the city for 4 years at that point and had never seen them or heard of anyone else seeing them. Then in 2019, while visiting the Telus World of Science, my husband and I were watching one of the free shows in the dome, the ones they project over your head and you lie back and watch, and this particular show was on the Aurora Borealis. That was when I learned, not only was I wrong and that we do have the beautiful lightshows in my area, but that we get them year round and that there are busier times of year than others. Since that visit I have put a lot of effort into learning when to photograph the lights, learning how to photograph them, and learning tips and tricks from others in the Alberta Aurora Chasers facebook group.
I was fortunate enough to catch the November 3/4, 2021 northern lights. It was the first time I was able to see the aurora while inside the city. I went over to the U of A Pig Farm, figuring it was near by and has less lights, which would give me a clearer shot at the sky. Boy, was I right. I present to you my first Aurora Print, available for sale in my Society6 Shop. There is an assortment of framing options, sizes, and materials available, and is an excellent talking piece for any home. As always thank you for taking the time to read my post, and for reading about my journey through this new passion. I hope to add more photos to this series as I get better at capturing this feat of nature.